Sheryl Sheppard, missing since January 1998, is receiving new attention and community pressure after many years of her mother Odette Fisher's tireless efforts to have her daughter's case solved.
Early days of Sheryl Sheppard's disappearance
Sheryl Sheppard was last in contact with loved ones January 2, 1998, and was officially reported missing January 4. It was January 7 when it hit newspapers.
Media coverage was delivered with a dramatic arc, starting with "Police scour waste station for missing exotic dancer," (view original article and transcript here), though later Sheppard's friends reported she hadn't been working as a dancer for some time.
Disturbing to the unfolding events was the police's need to talk with Sheppard's fiancé Michael Lavoie who was evasive. The next day of coverage, "Mystery of kissing couple," (view original article and transcript here) revealed that although Lavoie agreed to meet with police, the next day he didn't arrive for questioning. He was later found in a storage garage with the car running.
Sheppard's coverage continues to a front-page story on January 9, 1998. The article "A mother's anguish" (view original article and transcript here) interviews Sheppard's friends and family, giving insight to her life, and describing her as reliable, friendly, and outgoing. It also continues to raise questions about Lavoie who, reporter Denise Davy notes, was not approved of by friends and family. Some even describe their relationship as tumultuous, noting that they fought often.
Davy continues to raise questions about Lavoie. Although he alleges he last saw Sheppard as he dropped her off to work at a hotel in Niagara Falls to work, the manager of that hotel had never employed her.
What we know so far about Sheryl Sheppard
Sheryl, 30, was last seen January 2, 1998 after her fiancé Michael Lavoie (pictured to the right) allegedly dropped her off at Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, ON. Her disappearance has been ruled a homicide and Lavoie has been publicly named as a suspect in the case.
A beautiful portrait of Sheryl Sheppard by artist Ilene Sova can be seen here.
The 2014 CBC article "Advocating for victims of crime" highlights the Victims Services advocacy done by the Hamilton Police Services and their awareness-raising campaigns every April for the victims of crime.
The 2011 Hamilton Spectator article "In a cold case, hope is hot" interviews Sheppard's mother and discusses the only suspect in the case -- Sheppard's fiancé Michael Lavoie. In 2008 Lavoie was named the person of interest by the head of the Homicide Unit, Staff Sergeant Ian Matthews.
In 2011 the Sheppard case also received some publicity for increasing the reward from $10,000 to $50,000 for tips leading to a conviction.